Non-invasive imaging technologies allow images of the internal structures of a patient or object to be obtained without performing an invasive procedure on the patient or object. In particular, technologies such as computed tomography (CT) use various physical principles, such as the differential transmission of X-rays through the target volume, to acquire projection data and to construct tomographic images (e.g., three-dimensional representations of the interior of the human body or of other imaged structures). However, various physical limitations or constraints on projection data acquisition may result in artifacts or other imperfections in the reconstructed image.
For example, in certain dynamic imaging contexts, such as cardiac imaging, it may be desirable to increase the temporal resolution of the imaging process to better view a portion of anatomy or a process undergoing motion. Attempts have been made to combine projection data acquired over multiple heart beats to generate images having the desired temporal resolution. However, in practice the limited coverage of conventional CT systems renders such approaches impractical due to the increased scan time involved and the presence of image artifacts associated with the boundaries of the projection data.